The back of the bomber jacket has an interesting logo. You 'd think the logo would be weather related, because of the whole weather-themed name gimmick with Pharaohs Quest and Adventurers (Johnny Thunder, Jake Raines, Harry Cane, Mac McCloud etc.)

The mummies each have dual-faces, so you can have a choice of what your mummies look like.

This is the section you have to pay the most attention to when building this set. The build is engaging until you reach the legs, which is quite repetitive. You can plan ahead and just build all four legs at once without having to skim through the pages.

I would rather the hind legs of the sphinx be different from the front legs, like a real jackal.

The play feature:

There are two play features. One play feature is the same concept as what you'll find in 7327 Scorpion Pyramid -- a plastic bundle of dynamite is "used" to blow up a wall in order to get to the treasure. I wish there was a way to obtain the treasure whilst keeping the ancient structure pristine, because the ancient builders who spent all that time to create it probably didn't want it to be blown up.

Oh well, it's all in the name of adventure and archeology, right?

Jake Raines patiently waits for the dynamite to detonate, while a mummy warrior approaches Jake with ill intent. The ensuing chaos from the dynamite destroys the mummy in an amusing fashion! "Oh" said Jake Raines, "If only I captured that on film and sent it to Egypt's Funniest Adventure Videos!"

An axle at the back of the temple is pushed, causing the sword holder to jet out. This function is comparable to "Secret of the Sphinx" from the Adventurers theme.

The other play feature is that the sphinx can stand up and "attack" minifigures.

A comparison with Oasis Ambush from the Adventurers theme. Both are similar in that they use 2x2x3 slopes near the legs.

The overall build is very engaging, except for the legs. This set also contains a lot of good MOCing pieces, such as the dark red jeep cabin and the 2x2 jumper plate. As far as entertainment goes, the Anubis sphinx monster is good to pose for photo fun, while kids can have a blast with the dynamite function.

On the 1-to-5 rating system, I rate this set a 4.6

On the 1-to-10 rating system, I rate this a 9

The Pharaoh's Quest theme is Adventurers incarnate, I definitely hope kids enjoy it like how we enjoyed the Adventurers theme when it came out.

~Bricknave

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Good review. I don't understand why nobody seems to care for it. The car is beautiful, not to mention the little shrine with the golden sword and scorpions. The sphinx isn't half bad either! It's just the legs that are a bit thin. It's still a nice set.

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... I don't understand why nobody seems to care for it. The car is beautiful, not to mention the little shrine with the golden sword and scorpions. The sphinx isn't half bad either! It's just the legs that are a bit thin. It's still a nice set.

I think it has to do with the fact that its the second-larges set in the theme, and second most-expensive, but it offers recycled minifigures; Jake again like all other sets and 2 generic mummies. (One could acquire these with the two cheapest sets. )

The other reason is the design of the sphinx; try as I must I can't seem to like it. The head is nice and all, but the body is pretty awful. So lack of useful minifigs, parts, design and a steep price will discourage most buyers.

The best part of the set is that golden sword.

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Thank you for the review, it's one we've all been waiting for for a while.

I like the car and the bottom part of the sphinx, the area with the golden sword, but the sphinx itself always looks a bit awkward, mainly due to the identical, spindly thin legs. I'm sure people will add some more bricks to it to give it a better shape.

Combined with the low-key minifigures who are available in much cheaper sets, means it's not an instant buy for me, although a sale price on this would be worthwhile.

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Nice review and I esp. like the image next to the Adventurers set. It really shows how large this set is. I picked this up a few weeks before Christmas but haven't had a chance to break it open. I'm looking forward to this and the pyramid.

It is nice to see that the interior has something to show, as I thought it was just empty inside.

Thanks for taking the time to photograph and share your thoughts here on EB. I like the PQ line-up and look forward to seeing what else LEGO may offer.

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Well done review Bricknave, thanks for sharing! Overall, this set looks good with a nice adventurer's car, well-designed brickbuilt Sphinx, and good selection of minifigs, but I just think other sets in the PQ line are better in terms of 'value' (Golden Staff Guardians, Flying Mummy Attack, Cursed Cobra Statue).

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Awesome review Bricknave. When I first saw pictures of this set, I didn't realise it transformed as well. The Sphinx is gorgeous enough by itself, but to make it come to life as well??? Kyaah, that's just too awesome. Can't wait for its release

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I don't understand why nobody seems to care for it. The car is beautiful, not to mention the little shrine with the golden sword and scorpions. The sphinx isn't half bad either! It's just the legs that are a bit thin. It's still a nice set.

For me, it's just the "midsized set that doesn't stand out". The minifigs and a couple of cool PQ vehicles can be found in much cheaper sets, and if I want to get a big PQ set I'll save up for another couple of weeks and buy the pyramid, which is bigger and far cooler, has an even nicer vehicle and some really special minifigs. I think PQ shines in the cheap sets and the top of the line, but both this and Cursed Cobra are not really attracting me.

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I have all of the smaller sets, and this is the last I plan to get (unless they sell the pyramid at ~$70. That is an instant buy for me.)

After seeing this review, I really want to get it. But after my less than perfect view on the Cursed Cobra, I am hesitant to dish out $50 for this. But even if I don't like a lot, it still comes with a marvelous assortment of tan pieces, an super smexy vehicle, two more mummies for my army, and parts for another adventurer to add to my crew.

All in all, I am most certainly going to get this neat set, but I might want to wait until it drops to like $40 or something.

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Got my "Rise of the Sphinx" in the mail the other day - can i just say that it far surpassed my expectations. The posability of the Anubis statue really is great, and it's so much fun making it chomp on minifigs and stomp on the car! I was prepared to find it's legs spindly, but was pleasantly surprised by thier bulk and durable connections. The only things i would have wished for would be a more contoured underbelly and a tail, but hey, that's what modding is all about, right? The car is also sweet, the little temple does the job, the minifigs are of course great, and the whole thing looks super-sexxay. If yr sitting on the fence with regards to this set, i'd say go for it!